Steam-based port operations
The historic harbor steam crane was built in 1897 by the Duisburger Maschinenfabrik Johann Jaeger.
It is the only surviving example of its type in Germany. The crane consists of a mobile undercarriage on rails, the housing with the machinery, and a crane boom approximately 14 meters high. Until 1974, it was used as a quay crane at the parallel harbor in Duisburg.
In 1952, the steam boiler was replaced, and in 1957, the rotating rail ring of the chassis was replaced. The crane was in use in the Duisburg port until 1974 and in 1977 became the property of the city of Duisburg as a donation from the company Zietzschmann. In 2013, a comprehensive restoration was made possible by grants from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the NRW Foundation, and the association for a maritime Ruhrort.
In addition to preserving this outstanding technical cultural monument, the interior of the crane has been made more visible and accessible to the public. It can be seen in the immediate vicinity of the museum ships near the “Schifferbörse” at a prominent urban location on Gustav-Sander-Platz.